Former BBQ owner will do state time for domestic violence

CHAMBERSBURG - A former owner of a barbecue restaurant was sentenced to state prison time Thursday, following a conviction of simple assault and terroristic threats related to domestic violence.

Quinton Charles McCollum, 44, was sentenced to between 16 and 32 months on the terroristic threats charge, and between a year and two years on the simple assault charge, with the sentences running concurrently.

The allegations against McCollum went viral locally, when someone accessed his business' Facebook page, McCollum's BBQ, and posted photos of the alleged bruising he caused during the assaults. The post was shared hundreds of times, reaching more than 700 shares before the post was taken down.

During sentencing, Franklin County First Assistant District Attorney Lauren Sulcove asked for the top of the standard range for sentencing and consecutive sentences, due to the fact that the abuse happened in front of two children, including the one who was the first to contact police about it.

Two young boys were in court for the hearing, sitting with their mother, the victim in the case.

"(One son) had to make contact with police to get this abuse to stop," Sulcove said, saying the boy's actions were commendable.

A friend of the woman was also present, and told the judge of two other occasions in which she knew there was abusive behavior happening between her friend and McCollum.

Sulcove argued that McCollum should not be held locally, partially due to the woman's fear of retaliation.

McCollum had a prior record that involved drug delivery, part of why a standard-range sentence included jail or prison time for misdemeanor crimes.

McCollum spoke to the judge, Franklin County Senior Judge Douglas Herman, saying the incidents came up shortly after he asked for a divorce.

"And with me asking for a divorce came consequences," McCollum said.

When McCollum said he felt he stepped up to take care of the young boys, the boys shook their heads no.

As he began to address the boys, Herman told McCollum to turn around and speak only to him.

McCollum repeatedly emphasized that he was sorry the children had to go through what they did, and that things turn out the way they did, but he continued to call the woman a liar in many aspects and said she was the one refusing to move on.

"I moved on and that's what she needs to do as well," McCollum said.

Herman told McCollum that in determining his sentence, he heavily considered the fact that at least one of the incidents happened in front of the boys.

"This young man was denied his childhood," Herman said. "He was in fear of danger of his mother, him, his siblings."

Herman said he felt that even if McCollum was convicted of threatening the life of the boys' mother in front of them, that that was traumatizing enough to the children.

As for the danger the woman felt of possibly retaliation, Herman said "you can't really discard that possibility."

Herman said he felt McCollum never truly apologized and he was concerned with the tone of McCollum's statements.

"It was not introspective, it was reflective on (the woman) and showed continued anger and resentment," Herman said.

While Herman agreed that the woman did not always post appropriately about the issues to social media, that did not change what happened between McCollum and her.

Herman said he felt the woman might believe the court was unable to protect her, and he realized his sentence would help but probably wouldn't make everyone happy.

As a part of the sentence, McCollum is prohibited from contacting the woman, children or any other prosecution witnesses from the trial. He owes $250 in fines, and court costs.